Key Takeaways
- Lagardère operates multiple independent careers portals across its divisions — there is no single unified application system. Identify which portal serves your target division before applying.
- The group uses three different ATS platforms: Cegid TalentSoft for the corporate group, Talos ATS for Travel Retail, and Jobvite for Hachette Book Group in the US. Optimize your resume keywords for the specific platform.
- Interview processes are typically fast, averaging about one week from first contact to decision, with moderate difficulty and a generally positive candidate experience.
- Language skills matter significantly. Interviews may include impromptu language assessments, and French proficiency is valuable for group-level or Paris-based positions.
- Lagardère explicitly values cover letters as a way to demonstrate motivation and explain why you chose their specific entity — even when not required, submitting one is recommended.
- The company assesses both technical competencies and personal qualities during interviews. Prepare a concise spoken presentation about your background, as the first minutes are considered decisive.
- Post-interview follow-up is explicitly encouraged by Lagardère's recruitment team — a message reaffirming your interest can differentiate your candidacy.
- With over 33,000 employees across 50+ countries and revenues exceeding €9 billion, Lagardère offers career mobility across publishing, travel retail, and media — highlight your interest in cross-divisional growth.
- Lagardère's parent structure under Louis Hachette Group (formerly Vivendi) means the organization is in an active phase of strategic evolution — demonstrating awareness of this context shows serious interest.
About Lagardère
Application Process
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1
Identify the correct careers portal for your target division: Lagardère Group us
Identify the correct careers portal for your target division: Lagardère Group uses Cegid TalentSoft (lagardere-recrute.talent-soft.com), Lagardère Travel Retail uses Talos ATS (lagarderetravelretail.talosats-careers.com), Hachette Book Group in the US uses Jobvite (jobs.jobvite.com/hachette-book-group), and Paradies Lagardère in North America has its own portal at paradieslagardere.com/careers.
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2
Create an account on the appropriate platform and set up job alerts for your fie
Create an account on the appropriate platform and set up job alerts for your field of interest so you are notified when relevant positions open, as roles at Lagardère can fill quickly given the brand's prestige.
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3
Prepare a concise, visually clean CV that highlights relevant skills and experie
Prepare a concise, visually clean CV that highlights relevant skills and experience at a glance. Lagardère's own recruitment advice emphasizes that your CV should be attractive and easy to read so recruiters can immediately identify your competencies from a single page.
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4
Write a tailored cover letter for each application
Write a tailored cover letter for each application. While Lagardère notes that a cover letter is not always obligatory, they recommend using it to explain your motivation for applying and why you specifically chose to apply to that Lagardère entity. For Hachette Book Group roles, a cover letter is typically required alongside your resume.
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5
Submit your application through the online portal, ensuring all fields are compl
Submit your application through the online portal, ensuring all fields are completed and documents are uploaded in accepted formats. Proofread everything multiple times — Lagardère warns that spelling mistakes create a negative impression.
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6
After submitting, monitor your application status through the portal
After submitting, monitor your application status through the portal. The typical interview process takes about one week from initial contact. Expect a phone or video screening with HR followed by one or two interviews with the hiring manager and possibly a team lead.
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7
Following your interview, send a follow-up message reaffirming your interest in
Following your interview, send a follow-up message reaffirming your interest in the role. Lagardère's official guidance states that a post-interview message is always appreciated and can differentiate you from other candidates.
Resume Tips for Lagardère
Keep your CV to one page (two maximum for senior roles) with clean formatting an
Keep your CV to one page (two maximum for senior roles) with clean formatting and clear section headers. Lagardère recruiters explicitly state they need to identify your skills from a single page at a glance.
Tailor your resume to the specific division you are targeting
Tailor your resume to the specific division you are targeting. Highlight retail operations and customer experience metrics for Travel Retail roles, editorial and publishing industry experience for Hachette positions, or media and digital skills for Lagardère News.
Include multilingual capabilities prominently
Include multilingual capabilities prominently. Lagardère operates in 50+ countries, and interviews may include spoken language assessments. French language proficiency is particularly valuable for group-level and Paris-headquartered roles.
Quantify achievements with concrete metrics: revenue growth, customer satisfacti
Quantify achievements with concrete metrics: revenue growth, customer satisfaction scores, titles managed, store performance improvements, or project delivery timelines. Numbers stand out in ATS keyword filtering and to hiring managers.
Mirror the language from the job description in your experience bullets
Mirror the language from the job description in your experience bullets. Each Lagardère division uses a different ATS (TalentSoft, Talos, Jobvite), and keyword matching is critical for passing automated screening at each platform.
For publishing roles at Hachette, emphasize editorial judgment, familiarity with
For publishing roles at Hachette, emphasize editorial judgment, familiarity with editing software (Microsoft Word, Adobe InCopy), knowledge of publishing workflows, and experience with specific genres or market segments.
Highlight cross-functional collaboration and international experience
Highlight cross-functional collaboration and international experience. Lagardère values candidates who can work across business units, geographies, and cultures, reflecting the group's diverse portfolio.
Use a standard, ATS-compatible format — avoid tables, graphics, headers/footers,
Use a standard, ATS-compatible format — avoid tables, graphics, headers/footers, and unusual fonts. Submit in PDF or Word format as requested by the specific portal.
ATS System: Multiple (TalentSoft / Talos ATS / Jobvite)
Lagardère uses different ATS platforms across its divisions. The corporate group uses Cegid TalentSoft, Lagardère Travel Retail uses Talos ATS, and Hachette Book Group in the US uses Jobvite. Each platform has its own candidate portal, login system, and application workflow.
- Apply through the correct portal for your target division — applications submitted to the wrong platform will not be routed internally.
- Create separate accounts on each platform if applying across divisions, as the systems are not interconnected.
- Use clean, single-column formatting without tables, text boxes, or embedded images to ensure proper parsing across all three ATS platforms.
- Mirror exact keywords and phrases from the job posting in your resume and cover letter, as each ATS performs keyword-based screening.
- Submit documents in the format specified by each portal (typically PDF or Word). Avoid unconventional file types.
- Set up job alerts on each platform to receive notifications for new openings in your area of interest.
Complete Multiple (TalentSoft / Talos ATS / Jobvite) Resume Guide →
Interview Culture
What Lagardère Looks For
- Entrepreneurial mindset and creative thinking — Lagardère values employees who take initiative and bring innovative ideas, reflecting the group's identity as a creator and distributor of content and experiences.
- Multicultural competence and language skills — operating in 50+ countries, the group seeks candidates comfortable navigating diverse cultural contexts, with French and English fluency highly prized.
- Customer-centric orientation — particularly for Travel Retail, candidates must demonstrate a passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences in fast-paced travel environments.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills — the matrixed, multi-division structure requires people who can work effectively across teams, brands, and geographies.
- Adaptability and resilience — the travel retail and publishing industries face constant disruption, and Lagardère values candidates who thrive in dynamic, evolving environments.
- Passion for the industry — whether it is books, travel, media, or retail, genuine enthusiasm for the sector you are applying to is consistently mentioned by interviewers as a differentiator.
- Alignment with CSR and sustainability values — Lagardère's 'Cultures in Motion' strategy emphasizes environmental responsibility, diversity, and social impact, and candidates who share these commitments stand out.
